Northern Area Plan 2016
Moyle District: Cushendall

Cushendall is located on the A2 coast road midway between Larne and Portrush, and lies within the Antrim Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town originated as a small landlord village improved by the Turleys in the early 19th Century. Later, it was further developed as a place for visitors to the Glens to stay. Much of the historic character of the nineteenth century settlement on the north bank of the River Dall remains. Consequently, Cushendall Conservation Area was one of the earliest in the Region to be designated in 1975, and includes the largely intact Irish Georgian buildings of the town’s four original streets. Since the Second World War there has been considerable residential and other development south of the river.

Cushendall functions as the ‘capital’ of the eastern Glens. It is a resort for visitors as well as a small service centre for its rural hinterland. Cushendall is designated a Small Town in the Settlement Hierarchy in Volume 1 of the Plan.

A development limit has been defined that will accommodate a range of proposals consistent with the town’s role and potential.